The Top 10 Career Experts For Working Moms

Finding a balance between work and other things in life is challenging enough on its own, but can get even more complicated when children are brought into the picture. Yet even for busy, working moms, work/life balance is not an impossible ideal. There are thousands of women out there who do it every day, and some of them are even willing to offer their insights and expertise to other women in the same or similar situations.

The women to follow are CEOs, career experts, coaches, and entrepreneurs who are all familiar with the challenges that moms (and dads, too) face when trying to balance the demands of their careers with the responsibilities of being a parent.

They offer up advice and guidance that can help working moms further careers, start businesses, and just cope with the hectic pace of life.

Maria Bailey knows a thing or two about maintaining work/life balance. In addition to being a mom of four, Bailey is an author, hosts a radio talk show and multiple TV shows, runs a marketing business, and is the founder of BlueSuitMom.com and Smart Mom Solutions. In short, she’s a very busy woman and through her website and media appearances she shares some of the ways she balances it all. Moms can ask her for career advice and guidance through her MomTalk Q and A section, which has addressed everything from working-mom guilt to making time for family dinners, or catch great discussions of issues pertinent to working moms on her MomTalk radio show or on the Lifetime program The Balancing Act.

Moms looking to start their own business should look to entrepreneurial mom Christie Schultz, who is the founder and CEO of MomVentures, a global networking organization catered to business-minded moms. Schultz founded the business as a way to offer support and to fellow moms interested in pursuing a career in business, which was a major career change from her previous work in biotech. Today, the site, through Schultz’s guidance, is a great place to meet other working moms, get advice on making it all work, and even to take advantage of e-learning opportunities that can help moms start and grow a business.

MaryEllen Tribby is another working mom who’s made a business out of offering her expertise to other moms. Tribby is the CEO of WorkingMomsOnly, a newsletter and website dedicated to empowering and supporting working moms. Before starting the mom-centric business, Tribby was a successful CEO in the publishing world, skills she still uses as she helps other moms to learn. Moms can find Tribby’s advice through the website or her through Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Getting back in the hang of work after having a baby can be tough, but career experts like Nataly Kogan can offer some much needed guidance. Kogan is the co-founder and CEO of the online community for working moms Work It, Mom, and admits to not having the easiest time juggling work and her family since her daughter was born in 2009. She felt the best advice she got was from other working moms, and wanted to start a business that offered a way for other moms to enjoy that same experience. Working moms will find her on The Huffington Post and Twitter, offering insights into entrepreneurship, career planning, and being a working mom.

Career consultant Nancy Collamer specializes in helping women forge more family-friendly careers after becoming mothers. She’s shared her expertise on the matter through Oprah Winfrey’s Oxygen Media, a number of excellent books for working moms, and most recently, through founding the website JobsandMoms.com. While she offers helpful advice for moms at any stage of their career and family life, she is perhaps one of the best resources out there for women looking for a little help getting back into work after having a baby. Moms can find her advice on JobsandMoms.com, of course, and a variety of other career-focused websites to which she contributes.

Sara Sutton Fell is the CEO and founder of FlexJobs, a career website that helps moms (and anyone else) find jobs that embrace telecommuting, freelancing, part-time work, and flexible schedules. Fell started the company when she was pregnant with her first daughter, and it was an outgrowth of her own search for work that allowed a more flexible schedule than her former high-profile executive position. One of the coolest things about FlexJobs is that its employees are all in flexible, remote positions themselves, and nearly all are parents who enjoy the freedom to work while still being there for children. If this sounds compelling, check out the company as well as looking for Sara Sutton Fell’s career advice on various sites on the Web.

A somewhat controversial voice for Gen Y workers, Penelope Trunk’s advice isn’t for everyone. But even if you don’t agree with some of her more controversial opinions, there’s no denying that she offers solid career advice for women and men alike on a wide range of issues. Trunk can be a valuable resource to working moms, as she is a single working mom herself, while also homeschooling her sons and working in a number of startups. That’s a lot on one plate, but as you can see and learn through her blog, there is a way to balance it all and enjoy the benefits of a great career and a rich family life.

Tory Johnson founded Women for Hire in 1999 in her apartment, balancing the demands of a new business with the care of twin toddlers. Since then, the company has taken off and has become an amazing resource for any woman, non-moms included, looking to get a job or start a new career. Even better, Johnson herself provides much of the career advice. Working women can find it through blog posts on the site, a variety of social media outlets, or her television appearances and books.

It’s fitting that Marisa Thalberg would found a business called Executive Moms because that’s just what she is. When she gave birth to her first child in 2000, Marisa was the VP of global advertising at Calvin Klein and she’s still an exec today (though at Estee Lauder instead of Calvin Klein) while also managing the operations of the Executive Moms site. Through the site, women in high-powered careers can find advice on returning to work after baby, through networking opportunities, resources, events, and even a helpful collection of books for working moms. Thalberg offers her insight to being a working mom through a blog on the site but she can also be found on Twitter.

Carson and Grove share a spot on this list because they co-write an excellent resource for working moms: The WoMoments Blog. The duo aren’t really career experts per se, but offer a perspective from everyday moms that can be incredibly valuable for those looking for examples of how other moms are making things work. Both are admitted workaholics, high achievers, and moms who want the best for their kids without sacrificing everything they’ve worked so hard for in their careers, and throughout their blog share both the chaos and the joy that comes from balancing work and motherhood. Any working mom can benefit from reading their posts on health, working mom policies and politics, and the reality of trying to have it all.